A Light in the Storm
by Aidan Notfilc
Summary: “Kakashi he’s…" Naruto hesitated and looked up at Tsunade. She nodded slowly. He looked back at Kakashi, his resolve hardened. "He’s Sasuke’s son."
1. Thunder and Lightning

I started out wanting to write some KakaSaku fluff but I started thinking and this is what came out instead. Tell me what you think so I know if I should continue trying to write it or if I should just give it up. Thanks!

ninjapenguintime

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Or Kakashi for that matter...wistful sigh

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**Chapter 1. Thunder and Lightning**

Walking through the threshold, Kakashi closed the door to his apartment and locked it. He giggled the doorknob to make sure it really was locked then turned to follow the chunin who had been sent to fetch him and make sure he wasn't late. Something urgent had come up and his presence was needed right away.

Once outside, they sent some chakra to their feet and jumped up to the rooftops. Kakashi flicked his uncovered eye up just in time to see the sky light up. An instant later a peal of thunder cracked overhead. It was a good thing he left all eight of the dogs with Hoshi.

By the time he and the chunin made it to Hokage tower, they were both drenched.

Kakashi shook his silvery head and sent water droplets flying, much to the annoyance of the equally wet chunin.

"This is when I leave you." the chunin growled. Kakashi watched silently as he stalked away in search of dry clothes, living a trail of puddles on the floor.

There were no dry cloths for Kakashi so he made his way up the stairs to the Hokakge's office.

Knocking on the door, the jonin waited until he heard the 'come in' before proceeding into the room.

Naruto was sitting in his char behind his desk. His whiskered face showed he was in one of his rare serious moods. Tsunade and Hinata flanked either side of him, their faces equally grim.

In front of Naruto's desk however, stood a boy with dark red, almost maroon colored hair cut just above his shoulders that stuck up a little in the back. The boy turned his head to see who had walked in and dark, black, obsidian eyes stared almost right through the silver headed man in the doorway.

Those eyes, those eyes reminded him of… Kakashi suppressed a shudder. He didn't want to go there.

"Hinata," Naruto gestured to his pearly eyed assistant. "Could you take him to get something to eat or drink?"

"Of course," she answered in her soft voice. She started towards the boy. "Come on now. You must be hungry." The boy followed her, his eyes not leaving Kakashi until he was out the door.

Naruto waited until the door closed before letting out a huge sigh. The blond closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands. Tsunade turned to look out the window and watch the storm.

Lightning lit up the sky for a moment and the crackle and roar of thunder followed shortly after. Kakashi decided to wait and let the two gather their thoughts. Instead of letting his mind wonder about the strange boy and this still mysterious situation, his thoughts turned to Hoshi and how she must be fairing.

Finally Naruto sighed again and looked up, his bright blue eyes troubled. Tsunade turned to face them again. Her face was still grim.

"How's Hoshi doing?" the blond asked, stalling for time but still sincere. "I know she doesn't like thunderstorms." As if to prove his point, another clap of thunder rolled across the sky.

Kakashi paused for a moment hoping his words were true. "She should be fine. I left Pakkun and the gang with her tonight."

Naruto nodded and looked towards the door. His eyes were out of focus. When he spoke again, he sounded far away. "He's seven you know. Seven years old. Same age as Kin, my oldest. All this time and we had no idea, probably wouldn't have had any idea. His name is Raiden, you know."

The Hokage paused and looked Kakashi straight in the eye. The expression worried Kakashi. He didn't want to know what came next.

"Kakashi he's… Naruto hesitated and looked up at Tsunade. She nodded slowly. He looked back at Kakashi, is resolve hardened. He's Sasuke's son.

_**--**_

_Sasuke's son._ The words rang through his head triggering questions like a million tiny little bells, each trying to be the loudest.

Kakashi was shocked and that was a very rare thing for the Copy Nin. His first reaction was doubt, denial. Sasuke didn't have a son, he couldn't have a son. The Uchiha clan was gone. All of them gone. Extinct. The Sharingan was nonexistent except in him.

But no, he _could_ believe it. All he had to do was look into the boy's eyes.

_Sasuke's son_. The bells were ringing harder now. The competition for his attention was getting fierce.

"Kakashi?" He looked up to see a worried look on Naruto's face. How long had he been standing in that trance?

Picking the loudest two questions he said, "So he has the Sharingan."

"Yes."

"And what exactly does this have to do with me?" He was afraid he already knew the answer.

"Lets start at the beginning." Naruto said after a moment of thought. He looked to Tsunade to explain.

"Raiden and his mother showed up a few hours ago," she began. "She told us she was looking for Sharingan Kakashi and that her son had them too. We were confused at first and when questioned she told him to show us. Sure enough, eyes went crimson. He's got two tomoe. His mother collapsed right after. She's in the hospital now."

Kakashi blinked trying to make sense of it all. "So she asked for me specifically." he prompted.

Naruto nodded. "We think it would be best for you to take Raiden. You know, keep an eye on him. Just until his mother is better and we can figure out what's going on." The blonde's voice took on an almost pleading note at the end unbefitting for Hokage. Tsunade shot him a look, but it was halfhearted.

Looking down, Kakashi took a minute to think. He didn't have to do it. It would probably be better, easier if he didn't. They would find someone else to stick the kid with.

The jonin closed his eyes. After an inward sigh and knowing he would regret it, "All right."

Relief was apparent on both of their faces.

"We also ask you to go see the boy's mother," Tsunade said with a note of finality. "She wont talk to us, but to you she might. And we don't want to try and force anything out of her just yet."

Kakashi nodded and turned to leave. There was nothing more to say.

"Kakashi." It was Naruto's voice. "I wana say thanks. I know it's hard for you. It's hard for me too. Hell, it's hard for all of us. But, I appreciate it."

Searching his face, the masked man found it serious and sincere, the Hokage's eyes betraying only a little of the great hurt the he was surly feeling.

"Not a problem." Kakashi brushed it off with a smile he didn't really feel.

Once out the door, he leaned against it closing his eyes against the harsh lights above. He took a deep breath and let his defenses down for a second. Naruto was right. It was very hard for him. The uncaring, indifferent look in the child's eyes mimicked Sasuke's perfectly. Sasuke. The one who betrayed them all and then committed that unspeakable crime. Two years hadn't given him nearly enough time to prepare for something like this.

Figuring he had stood there long enough, Kakashi pulled himself together. He wandered down the hallway in search of Hinata and the kid.

He found them in the staff room. Hinata had found Raiden some leftovers somewhere, and the boy was scarfing them down as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

Kakashi crossed the room to the counter and grabbed himself a styrofoam cup. He filled it with hot water and added a tea bag then went to join the two at one of the small square tables.

For a while, the splatter of rain on the rooftop and windows was the only thing to fill the silence. Kakashi stared down at his tea, Hinata at her hands and Raiden at his food. Eventually though, Hinata's soft yet unwavering voice dared to break through the silence.

"How is Hoshi? I haven't seen her for a while."

"You know, me neither. She's out with her friends so often its like she doesn't live with me anymore." he said joking a little.

Hinata smile and opened her mouth to say something more when Raiden got up to throw his plate away. The long haired young woman turned her head towards him and Kakashi chose that moment to quickly down the hot drink in his hands before following the boy who was now walking out the door. Hinata followed close behind.

The small group made their way back down the brightly lit hall and stopped outside the Hokage's office. Hinata kneeled down to Raiden's eye level and put a hand on one of his shoulders.

"Ok Raiden, you're going to go home with Kakashi-san now." She smoothed some of the boy's dark red hair back in a motherly way. "Be good, and I'll come to see you very soon."

She stood back up and with a smile for Kakashi, she went into the office.

And they were left alone.

For lack of anything better to say, Kakashi mumbled "Come on kid." and led the boy further along the hallway and down the stairs.

Thankfully, the rain had stopped and the clouds were clearing away. They would have to walk back since Raiden couldn't control his Chakra yet.

The two made their way down the dark, wet streets of Konoha, skirting puddles and stepping over debris, Raiden a step behind and to the left of the older man. They didn't talk: Kakashi didn't want to say anything and he knew the boy probably wouldn't say much anyway.

When they reached Kakashi's apartment, the stars and moon were clearly visible and despite his best efforts not to show it, Raiden was tired. He stood up straight enough, but his eyes were half closed and he was frequently trying to stifle his yawns.

Kakashi fiddle with his pockets, trying to find his keys before remembering he put them in the one that held his trusty Icha Icha books.

He let them in and Raiden walked straight over to the couch and sat down. He wasn't even trying to cover up his fairly large yawn.

Pakkun, who had been waiting for him, padded up and looked from his master to the boy and back to his master.

"Later." Kakashi whispered, his voice for the dog only.

Kakashi left to get blankets for the boy, wondering how in the world he was going to explain everything. When he returned, the kid was already fast asleep. A little thrown off by how peaceful to boy looked when he wasn't glaring at anyone, Kakashi tucked the blankets around him and followed Pakkun back to his own room.

Opening the door as quietly as he could, he stuck his silver head in through the door. His one eye swept across the room and landed on a huge pile of dogs on his bed. Smack dab in the middle, with her back against a large, dark brown bulldog, was Hoshi. She was curled up cuddling a scarecrow doll in one arm, and her free hand was dug into the long yellow fir of one of the other dogs.

"Nice job boys." Kakashi whispered, his tone approving.

Slipping into the bathroom, he tossed his damp clothes into a pile and stepped into the warm, inviting shower. He let the water soak into his thick hair, run down his unmasked face, and then across his chest, still at a loss of exactly what to do. Now that Raiden had activated his sharingan, and at such an young age, he would need instruction. But what if he turned out like Sasuke or Itachi? And Hoshi would need an explanation in the morning.

Suddenly too tired to think anymore, his normally droopy eyes lower than usual, he shut the water off and toweled himself dry.

Back in his room, he slipped on some pants and a shirt, and slid into the spot the large bulldog had once occupied. He and some of the other dogs had opted to move to the floor, and there was much more room on the bed.

Kakashi pulled Hoshi close to him. He took a deep breath and breathed in the soft sent of her.

She stirred slightly, clutching her doll closer. "Storm's over." Her voice was small, barely a whisper.

"I know." he murmured reassuringly and ran a hand through his daughter's silver hair before falling asleep amid the warm bodies of his dogs and little girl.

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**Review Please!**


	2. Several Introductions

**Chapter 2. Several Introductions**

Moving as quietly as she could across the room, the little girl tiptoed around piles of sleeping dogs. She paused and waited bleary eyed as three of the piles heaved themselves up, stretched with a large yawn each, and followed her out the door.

The small sleepy eyed party made its way down the short hallway, through the living room and under the archway that separated the kitchen from said living room. The party stopped in front of the refrigerator and the little girl pulled it open effortlessly.

The dogs waited patiently as their young master's eyes shifted through the well stocked fridge before settling on an item on the shelf second to the top. Grateful that it was on the edge, she stretched up on her tippy toes to reach the carton of milk then shut the door and padded over to the kitchen table, dogs following quietly behind her.

She set the milk down and reached for a chair. Dragging that over to the counter, she carefully climbed up. Now she was tall enough to reach the cabinets so she carefully pulled out a tall glass and three bowls. That task done, she returned the chair to its place and brought the glass to the table beside the milk. The bowls she placed on the floor in front of her tail wagging companions.

Filling up the bowls, she gave some to the white haired dog with the black fuzz on his head, the small cinnamon colored dog with sleepy eyes and a tattoo on his furry forehead and finally, to her personal favorite, the squinty eyed, floppy eared, whiskered faced dog who reminded her of her favorite uncle.

Satisfied that each dog had gotten their share and her whiskered friend had a little extra, (hopefully not enough for the other two to notice) she filled her glass, took a sip, refilled it, then put the carton back.

Grabbing her glass, she left the dogs happily lapping up their milk and padded out of the kitchen taking another sip of her own.

As she lowered her glass, her eyes connected with another pair of eyes. These were dark and strange and analyzing, and their owner was occupying the couch in her living room.

Confused for a second, she stopped as these new eyes drank in her messy silver ponytail, red and white starred pajamas, and milk mustache before finally meeting her back at her own emerald green eyes. His face now held an expectant look.

Snapping out of her trance, the girl scampered down the hall trying, and failing, not to splash milk on the hardwood floor.

Watching her go and expectations met, Raiden settled back on the couch to wait for who must be the girl's father to come lecture him.

~--~

"Daddy! Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"

Kakashi sat up quickly, causing the small face close to his own to jerk back in response.

"What? Wassamatter? Where's the fire?"

Hoshi stared at her father for a second. He wasn't usually _this_ disoriented in the morning, but then again, she didn't usually tackle him to get him up.

"There's no fire," she told him. "But there _is_ a boy on the couch. Who is he? Why's he here? When did he get here?"

"Alright, alright. Enough with the twenty questions," he chuckled as she opened her mouth to ask another. "Why don't you and I go say good morning to him properly, hum?"

Kakashi watched his daughter and his sharingan allowed him to clearly asses her reaction. Her eyes had quickly dropped from his and sought out the nearest dog while her right hand subconsciously reached up to fiddle with her necklace.

She hadn't always been shy. She had been happy and outgoing as a toddler and had won the hearts of her parent's friends, the hospital staff, and all the little old ladies who fed birds at the park. But, when her mother died, that outgoing part of her had died too, and she had resorted to clinging to the people closest to her. He hated watching her light fade like that.

Trying to get the light back in her eyes, he put his hand under her chin and turned her head gently to face him. "We'll say a quick hi to him and then show him how well we can cook."

Smiling despite herself, the little girl nodded. Satisfied, Kakashi let go, gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and got up to slip his mask on.

He checked his daughter once more before closing his left eye to hide his sharingan and reached for his her hand. She hopped off the bed and took it gladly. They left the room together, weaving through the maze of still sleeping dogs.

~--~

They were sitting there, three of them, and they were just _staring_ at him. Ok, correction, one was staring at him, one was squinting at him, and the smallest had curled up and apparently gone to sleep. But what did they _want_ from him?

The dogs who had followed the girl into the kitchen had exited shortly after she did and after lapping up the milk she had spilled, had taken up residence on the floor in front of the couch he was currently occupying.

Maybe they wanted to eat him. The white dog had finally stopped licking its muzzle and its ridiculously long tongue was now hanging out of its mouth.

Raiden had never had a dog and all the ones in his village had been taught to fear, even hate him, so he had never been particularly fond of dogs.

'_Let them try something_,_'_ he thought and almost subconsciously activated his sharingan.

But now he could see that there was something different about these dogs. There was nothing hostile about them, and they had a sort of knowing gleam in their eyes, something almost human.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Raiden reached out a hand, gently stroking the black patch of fuzz on the dog's head.

He just had enough time to decide that maybe not all dogs were so bad after all when the mischievous canine flicked its head up and licked his hand.

Surprised, the boy snatched his hand back and immediately afterwards, jumped after hearing an unexpected giggle from behind.

Upon seeing the comical exchange between the strange boy and one of her father's dogs, Hoshi had laughed in spite of her self.

Raiden spun around on the couch to face the girl and the man from last night. Carefully he shut off his Sharingan and rearranged his features so that his face was blank; experience had taught him this was the best way to deal with people.

He watched as the man let go of the girl's hand and gave her a push. She looked back at her father uncertainty before taking a deep breath and stepping in front of the couch.

"My name is Hatake Hoshimi and I'm, I'm six years old."

Raiden blinked at her. He was confused. He had been expecting a lecture from the man before him, not a formal introduction from his daughter. He blinked again. Now Hoshimi started squirming, clearly uncomfortable by his silence. He tracked the movement of her fidgeting hands as they traveled upwards to clutch at the thin chain around her neck.

The next several seconds were filled with silence until…

"Well, aren't you gonna say something?" Hoshi snapped. Immediately her eyes went wide and her hands flew to her mouth.

Her father chuckled. She obviously didn't expect to loose her temper. That was a very rare thing for her.

"That's alright." Kakashi said and patted Hoshi on the head. She was nervously fiddling with her chain again.

"Raiden. And I'm almost seven." Now it was Raiden's turn to be surprised, but he didn't show it. He hadn't planned on answering

"Yes, this is Raiden, and he will be staying with us for a little while. Now that introductions are over, why don't we go make breakfast."

The man left the room and Hoshi stood staring at him a few moments longer before following, leaving the boy wondering about the strange and unexpected introduction. It didn't take long, however, for Raiden to hesitantly leave his contemplating, setting it aside for a later date, and make the short trip into the kitchen, propelled by his empty stomach.

~--~

"Did you know flowers have their own meaning? It's like a whole language. Buttercups mean cheerfulness and daffodils mean respect. And different colors mean different things. Like white carnations mean innocence and pink ones mean-"

"For like the thousandth time Inoko, we know already. Can you not be quiet for like five seconds at a time?"

The blond "humped" and shot her friend a look that didn't make much of an impact as the other girl had her eyes glued to the sky.

"Well you're just jealous 'cause you don't know anything about flowers. _Clouds_ don't have meanings."

"Would you give it a rest already? You're so troublesome."

"I think," a third girl interrupted, her burnt orange curls bouncing around her round, slightly chubby face as she danced toward the quarrelling pair. "That flowers and clouds are both great. Flowers smell good and clouds make pretty pictures in the sky.

Both girls turned to look at the third.

"I can live with that." Inoko said after a moment of thought. "What about you?" she asked, directing the question to the lazy, dark hared girl who had settled back down beside her.

"Well-" the girl started, but the ditzy blond cut her off.

"Look! There's Hoshi! Oh, and someone's with her." She gave the two and their doggy escort a huge wave and Hoshi gave a smaller on in response as they made their way across the field towards the three girls.

As they drew closer, Inoko frowned. She didn't know this boy and she knew _everyone_. How could _Hoshi_ of all people know someone _she_ didn't.

"Hello Hoshi-chan," Inoko chirped in her brightest, friendliest voice as the small group stopped under the tree the girls were using for shade. "Who's your new friend?"

She watched as the shy girl's hand wandered up to fiddle with her chain before answering. "Umm, this is Raiden. Raiden, this is Akimichi Chomi, Nara Shika, and Yamanaka Inoko."

Chomi skipped up and gave Raiden a bow with a flourish of her hands. Shika responded with a disinterested hey. But Inoko grabbed his arm and tugged him down to sit beside her.

"So, are you new here?" Inoko began, batting her eyelashes. "You must be because I've never seen you before."

Raiden looked at her, his face blank and nodded.

"So, what do you think of the village? Pretty great huh?"

Raiden turned his head away at this and shrugged.

After a moment of questioning, Inoko stopped, not getting a word out of the boy.

"Maybe he can't speak." she whispered too loudly to the dark hared girl beside her.

"Yes I can," Raided declared indignantly. How dare this strange talkative girl think him unable to use words? "I just don't wana talk to you."

"What?!" the blond squawked. He didn't want to talk to her? Everyone always wanted to talk to her. She was the prettiest girl in all of Konoha. Her mother told her so. How could there be someone who wasn't interested in her?

"So what's in the box Hoshi?" Chomi asked changing the subject.

"Oh!" Hoshi said, and Inoko looked up to see the quiet girl's green eyes light up. Then the blond looked down at the box she had up until now failed to notice. "Well, last week I found this little baby duck." She reached into the box and gently drew out a fluffy yellow duckling blinking quickly into the sunlight. "And his foot was hurt so Baa-chan helped me fix it."

The duckling cheeped its agreement and the other girls swarmed around to squeal and coo at the baby. Raiden hung back, not interested.

"Now that he's all better, I'm gonna put him back in the pond where I found him."

"We'll go with you!" Inoko cried. "And Chomi's got a picnic lunch. We can eat there!"

"Ok." Hoshi smiled softly to herself knowing there wasn't anything better than an Akimichi's cooking.

"Come on Raiden," Inoko grabbed his arm to drag him off, not waiting for the others. "You haven't lived until you've tried one of Akimichi-san's rice balls."

"Come on Shika!" Chomi called, skipping to catch up to Inoko, curls bouncing with every step.

With a sigh, Shika heaved herself up with some help from Hoshi and the two girls and the dog followed at a more leisurely pace.

The friends wandered off down the park path next to the field chatting to each other and leaving Raiden relatively alone, although Inoko still clung to him. Confused and a little uncomfortable with the fact that he was so close to someone he didn't know, Raiden wondered about the strange behavior of these four girls. They didn't seem afraid of him. On the contrary, they had absorbed him into their group without knowing anything bout him. It made him nervous. He wondered where his mother was and if she was being accepted as easily as he was.

Arriving at the pond, the girls, having picnicked together so often, chose a spot under one of the many shade trees and each took up a task without interrupting the flow of their conversation.

Raiden, quick to get away from the touchy feely blond, wandered over to the pond and quickly became mesmerize by the small fish swimming random patterns in the shallow end at his feet. If he activated his sharingan, he could almost predict the direction the spastic fish would turn next.

"Aren't they pretty?" Hoshi asked, coming up behind him and catching him unawares for the second time that day. This time he controlled the urge to jump.

He looked over to see her crouching beside him now. His observant black eyes took her in, thinking that when the sun hit her hair it was almost as bright as the small silver fish they were watching, but he didn't say anything.

It was clear he was making her uncomfortable again when she started fussing with the box in her hand. Then she got up and walked a few feet away from him to a thick patch of reeds growing in the water. Setting the box down, she gently lifted the duckling out of its box and gave it a push toward the water. It cheeped quietly, unsure of itself until some louder quacking sounded from within the reeds.

A duck came waddling out of the tall reeds and went to greet the newcomer, the rest of its young family following close behind. Once again reunited with its family, the baby duck happily followed its mother and siblings into the pond.

Raiden looked over to Hoshi. A small smile graced her face and she looked proud of herself.

"Hurry up Hoshi," Inoko called breaking the girl from her trance. "Chomi's eating all the rice balls!"

The silver hared girl got up and walked back towards her friends. As she passed him, she looked over at Raiden, silently and shyly inviting him over to share their lunch.

~--~

Walking through the doors, the man was met with a blast of cool air ruffling his already unruly silver hair. The woman at the front desk looked up and gave him a small smile before returning to her papers. Two seconds later, she looked back up in surprise to see the masked man beaming down at her.

"Can I help you Kakashi-san?"

"I think so." he said and handed her a small slip of paper.

"Oh, right," she said and handed him a card she pulled out from a small drawer. "You know what to do."

Taking the card and nodding his thanks, Kakashi sauntered down the hallway past numerous medics and patients to the elevator.

Kakashi had never been very fond of hospitals, but being a shinobi, he had visited many times. Most of the time he was the one hospitalized and occasionally he went to visit a friend, but this time he was here to visit someone else.

As the doors closed in front of him, he wondered what kind of woman Raiden's mother would be. What kind of woman had seduced the stoic Uchiha Sasuke and then had his child? The elevator dinged to a stop and Kakashi stepped out.

The halls on this floor were much less crowded, empty except for a stray nurse letting herself in a room to check on a patient.

Kakashi walked down the lonely hallway and was strongly reminded of the night before. At least, it wasn't raining.

Stopping in front of the right door, he pulled out the card the secretary had given him and pushed just the right amount of chakra into it. Raiden's mother wasn't on full security, but they still didn't trust her. Then he swiped the card, took a deep breath, and went in.

"Hatake Kakashi," a voice greeted him as soon as the door shut behind him. "I've been waiting for you."

A woman lay in the hospital bed, her face away from him and towards the window. Bite marks decorated her arms which were resting on top of the sheets.

He didn't say anything and she turned to look at him. He could now see that tired red eyes that rested behind glasses. Her eyes matched the color of her hair, short and unkempt on one side, long and flowing on the other. He could also see that more bite marks covered her neck as far down as her hospital gown would allow him to see.

"Is Raiden alright?"

"He's just fine." the jonin assured her.

"Ok then. Sit," she told him. "I'll make the story short."

Kakashi took a seat in the chair next to her bed and she took a deep breath before beginning.

"I'm sure you know all about the attack on Konoha years ago. After Akatsuki was defeated, Sasuke and I were on our own. At that point in my life, I would have followed him to the end of the world if I could and he couldn't get rid of me, so we were stuck together.

We moved from place to place for a few years and never stayed in one place for long. He was always restless. Then, seven years ago, I succeeded in getting him to do what I've wanted him to ever since I met him. He made love to me, and several times. Of course, I eventually found I was pregnant and I was ecstatic. What girl wouldn't be? I was having the hot, sexy, famous Uchiha Sasuke's baby." She was disgusted with herself. Kakashi could tell from the change in her voice even though it was slow and weak.

"After a few months, I couldn't travel anymore and we settled in a small fishing village outside of Otogakure, and that was where Raiden was born.

I thought the baby would bring Sasuke closer to me, I thought he would want at least some part in raising his son but I guess the baby just helped drive him away. He wasn't around very often and would stay away for weeks at a time. By the time Raiden was five, Sasuke had somehow found a way to block my chakra sense and had disappeared. He didn't come back and I couldn't find him. But before he left, he told me to take care of Raiden.

The people in the village, I knew they didn't like us, they were terribly afraid, but I guess the fact that Sasuke was with me made them behave. As soon as they figured he wasn't coming back, everything changed. And that brings us up to now." She paused for a minute to catch her breath before continuing.

"A few weeks ago, they broke into our house in the middle of the night. I guess they were afraid Raiden would turn out like his father because they tried to drag him off. And unfortunately, that activated his sharingan.

I realized then that we couldn't stay so I brought him here."

At this point she was looking out the window again but turned back to Kakashi who hadn't moved since sitting down.

"I can't handle him anymore, not now that he has the sharingan. He used me, Sasuke did. I realize now that Raiden wasn't supposed to activate his sharingan. That's why Sasuke told me to take care of him. He didn't care about Raiden, just that his sharingan lay dormant for generations. But his plan failed. And now, I'm just… so… tired." Her voice faded out and was replaced by the soft beeping of the monitors above her bed.

The woman looked up at the ceiling, her story done, and closed her bright red eyes. Within moments, her breathing was steady and Kakashi realized she was asleep. He felt heavy and couldn't get up for a few minutes. Finally he got up, filled his card with chakra again and let himself out.

For the second time in twenty-four hours, Kakashi found himself leaning against a door in a too brightly lit hallway with his defenses down. She said that she was done, that she couldn't handle him anymore. What did that mean? What did she want him to do? Did she want him to take the kid in? He couldn't do that. Too many bad memories and too much at stake. And what about Hoshi? At least someone had fulfilled his ambitions. His brother was dead, revenge was taken on Konoha, and the first step to reviving the Uchiha clan was complete.

Feeling even heavier, Kakashi pushed himself off the door and started toward the elevator. His eyelid lower and posture more slouched than usual.

When he got to the ground floor, he slipped out of the back doors and into the gardens. None of the patents were out yet so he had them to himself, just the way he liked it.

He wandered down the winding path, past benches and flowerbeds and numerous bushes and trees to a special corner of the garden filled with special trees.

In full bloom, the trees proudly held their pale pink flowers to the sky. And in the center of them all, a stone statue of the very same kind of tree stood, sporting stone blossoms of its own. Kakashi stopped in front of the statue and a stray breeze blew one to the cherry blossoms into his hand.

_In memory of Hatake Sakura,_ the inscription read. _We love and thank you for all you have done. You will forever be in our hearts._

And the lonely, sad, weighted down man stood there, mind swirling and cherry blossom in hand.

_Why did you leave us Sakura? Why did you leave?_


	3. Bravery

**IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ: **Hey guys! I hope everyone enjoied the holidays. I know I did. And for the new year Im going to change my pen name. Im gonna try Aidan and if thats already taken then Aidan Notfilc. Lets say I'll change it next week on the 9th so after that its different... And I now present to you Chapter 3. Please enjoy.

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**Chapter 3. Bravery**

Raiden breathed quietly in and out, in slow measured breaths as he listened to the bustle in the kitchen. It had been a week since he had come to stay and he was adjusting to an entirely new lifestyle. When it had just been him and his mother, she had made all the meals but here it seemed to be a family thing. He could see the seen in the kitchen now as he listened to sizzle of something frying, Hoshi's voice muffled from talking with food in her mouth and her father's deep laugh at whatever she had just said.

Hoshi and her father were up relatively early every morning. With both of them still in their pajamas and hair all messed up from the night before, they would venture into the kitchen debating on who's favorite meal would be cooked. He on the other hand, would stay in the living room feigning sleep like he was now.

He heard the stove click off and the laughter stop. Hoshi would come get him in a minute in that quiet, polite way of hers.

It wasn't like he was shy or anything. It was just that he didn't want to intrude in their family time.

"Hey, Raiden." Just as he predicted. "Breakfast is ready." Hoshi's voice whispered quietly in his ear.

His lids fluttered and he and looked up into her sparkling green eyes. This close he thought he could almost see a few flecks of grey.

She leaned back and he sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. She giggled. He looked at her a little confused which just made her giggle more. She reached out to run her hands through his dark red locks. They were all over the place he figured. It felt good, almost as if it were his mother fixing his hair in the morning. He half expected to hear her voice telling him to get a brush.

Hoshi smiled, pleased with her work and skipped into the kitchen. Raiden followed a few steps behind.

It was true, as he had found out before, that nothing could measure up to an Akimichi's cooking but the Hatake's come pretty close. And that didn't exclude Hoshi. She was a year younger than him and he was sure she could cook better than most adults.

He settled himself down at the table ready to listen to Hoshi talk about anything and everything. She seemed to open up at the table. It was like flipping a switch.

"….And then Inoko said she was going to be better than me because her mom is going to teach her to read minds." she was saying. "Daddy, do you think she's going to be better than me?"

"Of course not." Her father chuckled. "You have me to teach you, don't you?"

"Oh yeah." she giggled and continued with another train of thought.

All the while, the assorted pack of dogs would slip in one by one and steel scraps dropped under the table just for them.

With breakfast over, they both started on dishes, using teamwork like they did with everything else. Kakashi would wash and Hoshi, standing next to him on a chair, would dry and stack them. Then together, they would put the clean dishes away.

Up until now, Raiden would retreat back to the living room to wait for them to finish, but today he thought he would pitch in too.

**~--~**

Kakashi sat back in his seat and pulled his mask up. Meal times really were the best and since he was in his own house, and the boy shouldn't be here too long, he had kept the fabric down to eat.

He watched as Hoshi fed the last of her eggs to one of his dogs. This was one time when she was usually comfortable talking no matter who was there, especially if she had helped cook.

He was just about to get up to clear the table when someone beat him to it. Kakashi's grey eye widened in surprise as Raiden got up and started picking up the now empty dishes.

Hoshi, quick to jump on the bandwagon, pulled her chair to the sink and turned the water on for him, still yapping about something that had happened yesterday.

The man ran his hair through his silver hair. Was it just him or was Raiden starting to open up? He and Hoshi were virtually inseparable; the kid followed her around everywhere, his dark eyes drinking in everything she did.

Shaking his head to clear it, he pushed his chair back and got up to do his part with the dishes.

**~--~**

When everyone was dressed, the three made the short walk from the apartment to the hospital. Raiden wasn't sure what Hoshi and her father were there for, but he was there to see his mother.

Cool air blew down on Raiden, playing roughly with his hair as he followed Hoshi and her father through the doors of the hospital. Kakashi nodded towards the lady behind the desk and she smiled at them. Hoshi smiled back, but he didn't.

Just like every day since he arrived, he stopped at the desk while Hoshi and her father continued down a different corridor. Hoshi turned around to wave at him. He put his hand up at the last second before they disappeared around the corner then waited for a nurse to escort him upstairs.

It was quiet in the elevator. The nurses always tried to make small talk with him but he never really said anything and they gave up. They would always look down at him when they thought he wasn't looking. A look of pity.

Then they would walk him down an empty hallway with thick metal doors. When they got to the right door, they would swipe a small card through a slot and the door would open. He would walk through and the nurse would close the door behind him. He was locked in he knew, but it didn't matter; he was with his mother now, the only person who had ever cared about him.

He would stand beside her bed and hold her hand and tell her everything that was happening to him. Sometimes she would talk back to him and ask him questions, but for the majority of the time she would just sleep, and Raiden would stand there, holding her hand in his, talking to fill the silence.

Today when he went in she was awake.

"Hi mother." He went over to her and hugged her as best he could, being careful of the IV in her arm.

"Hi," she said softly, music to his ears. He missed his mother. "I hope you've been good."

"Yes mother. I helped with the dishes today." He held her hand in his, stroking it softly. It looked so small and frail, as if he would break it if he wasn't careful.

"That's my boy." She closed her vibrant red eyes and Raiden gripped her hand tighter.

"Mommy," his voice wavered a little. "When are you going to get better?"

"You're such a brave boy Raiden. I'm proud of you. She opened her eyes to look at him and reached up to wipe away a tear from his dark eyes. Her hand lingered on his cheek before it dropped to rest on the straight white sheets. "Stay brave." she whispered before closing her eyes again.

Raiden sniffled, trying to stifle the tears, hold them back. He would be brave. For her, he would be brave.

**~--~**

After leaving the hospital, instead of turning left to make the slightly familiar trip back to the Hatake's apartment, Raiden found himself turning right down an unfamiliar street.

One thing about this new village was that it was huge. When he had first arrived, the night had made if feel as if he were being taken through an impossible maze. Now that it was bright with happy sunlight, it was slightly less intimidating, but still impossible.

Another thing was that while everyone in his small village would stare menacingly at him whenever he passed, the people here didn't pay any attention to him. He was glad no one was sending him death glares anymore but he felt invisible, anonymous, as if he didn't exist.

Eventually the road they were on branched off and they turned down a quiet back road. Occasionally Raiden could catch glimpses of large houses spread far apart. Then after a wide turn in the road Raiden blinked in awe at the biggest house he had ever seen.

It was traditional style, settled in a huge yard and framed by several trees, all matured and spreading shade: sentries guarding the impressive house.

Hoshi ran ahead of them and up to the front door, hopping impatiently from foot to foot as she waited for it to open.

"Hello? Who's there?" The blond man who opened the door inquired loudly. He peered out and over the little girl in front of him, squinting and shading his eyes as if trying to find someone.

"Uncle Naruto!" Hoshi giggled. "Down here!"

"Oh! There you are!" He laughed and scooped her up for a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. After setting her down, he clapped Kakashi on the back.

"He always does that to me." Hoshi informed Raiden happily.

"And hello to you again Raiden." Naruto's smile waned the tiniest bit at the boy standing quietly just behind Kakashi.

"Where are Kin and Kiyoshi? And Kohana?" inquired Hoshi.

"They should be out back. Cut through the kitchen and say hi to your aunt. I think she's making lunch." The man rubbed his belly unconsciously at the thought of food.

"OK!" Hoshi sprinted off but came back as soon as she saw Raiden wasn't with her. She came back to grab his hand and lead him swiftly through the confines of the house leaving the two adults.

**~--~**

"Hoshi seems to have become quite attached to him." The two men, slower than the children made their way leisurely down one of the many halls of the Hokage Mansion.

"Yeah," Kakashi frowned behind his mask. "We never meant for her to be an only child. I don't know how she'll take it when he has to leave.

"Uhh, about that," The blond shifted and rubbed the back of his neck, a habit from his genin days. "He might be here for a while. His mother isn't getting any better. She's actually getting worse and we can't figure out what's wrong with her.

The older man stopped in his tracks. "You're kidding right?"

Naruto shook his head. The frown looked misplaced on his usually smiling face. "Both Shizune and Tsunade are on the job but they aren't getting very far.

Both men sighed at the question hanging heavily between them. The one neither of them wanted to voice aloud.

_What if Sakura were here?_

**~--~**

"Auntie Hinata!"

"Hello Hoshi." Hinata bent down to hug her niece, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders and engulfing the girl. "How are you?" I haven't seen you in so long."

"I'm ok. Grandma's been keeping me busy. Are Kin and Kiyoshi outside?"

"That's right. And so is Kohana. Are you two hungry?" She glanced over to Raiden who had stopped in the doorway and seemed to be trying to keep out of sight. "I'm about to make lunch. "

"Oh, yes please." Hoshi answered. Raiden silently nodded his head. "Come on Raiden." And with a wave to her Aunt, Hoshi lead her friend out the back door and into the yard.

The back yard was a wide clearing. A small pond filled with bright, multicolored Koi fish occupied one corner and tall bamboo plants framed both sides of the yard for privacy. In front of them stood a forest. A view of the Hokage Mountains stood in the background.

Hoshi marched across the yard and into the trees, following a path Raiden hadn't noticed until now. They walked for a little while, the sun filtering down from the trees and presently Raiden could hear loud shouts up ahead.

Hoshi quickened her pace and Raiden hurried to match hers.

Abruptly the trees stopped and they stepped into another clearing.

Raiden immediately tensed up and focused on a par of boys locked in an intense battle.

They watched for a while, Hoshi seemingly frozen while fists and feet flew furiously, neither boy gaining the upper hand. Then one threw a punch that the other caught and used the momentum to flip his opponent. He then rolled smoothly into a punch that stopped right before it hit.

Hoshi clapped her hands enthusiastically and the boys looked up at their small audience. The one still standing grinned and rubbed the back of his head before helping the other boy up. Together they made their way over.

"Good job Kiyoshi," Raiden heard Hoshi say. "You almost had him."

"Umm, thanks." the boy answered softly, looking down at his feet but still pleased.

"Hi Hoshi," the taller boy said. He had golden hair and sparkling blue eyes, an exact replica of the man back at the house but without the whiskers. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Raiden." Hoshi smiled and looked over to the boy beside her. Radien swallowed and shifted, trying to push down the urge to run. Never in his life had he seen kids his age that could fight like this.

"I'm Kin," the boy said. "And this is my brother Kiyoshi."

"Hey." Kiyoshi said. He had long dark hair and watery blue eyes.

"Is that the sharingan?" the boy named Kin asked. He was staring at Raiden intently. "It sure looks like it. But Iruka sensei said they don't exist anymore."

Raiden blinked so the red faded to black by the time his eyes opened again and the perfect clarity was replaced by his normal vision. He hadn't noticed it was on. He also didn't know what to say to this boy but he did know that if they decided they didn't like him, he didn't stand a chance.

"Umm, I umm-"

"Where's Kohana?" Hoshi cut in. "Your mom is making lunch."

"Oh, she's probably at the creek. We better check on her." Kiyoshi nodded at this, agreeing with his brother.

Raiden watched them walk off, his heart still hammering in his chest. Hoshi slipped her hand in his. "It's ok" she whispered and started after the brothers, taking him with her.

**~--~**

"Hi Hoshi!"

"Kohana, what are you doing?" Kin moaned. Sure enough, they found the four year old crouched in a stream just off the path. The tips of her long red-orange hair trailed in the softly gurgling water and dripped steadily as soon as she stood up to greet them.

"I'm trying to teach the frog to talk."

"What frog?" Kiyoshi asked and the others joined his searching look.

"Aww! You scared him away!" the little girl wailed.

"It's ok Kohana," Kiyoshi reached for her hand and she took it. He pulled her out the water and dragged her back to the path. "Frogs can't talk anyway."

But what about Daddy's frogs?" she countered as the group headed back toward the house. "They can talk."

"That's different," Kin explained. "Dad's toads are special."

"Oh." She contemplated this for a few moments then dropped back to walk with Hoshi. "They never let me have any fun. They won't let me train with them or anything. They say I'm too little. I'm _always_ too little," she whined, dragging out the 'always' for emphasis. "Hey," her brilliant blue eyes squinted up at Raiden who glanced away quickly. "Who are you?"

"This is my new friend Raiden." Hoshi grinned at him and squeezed his hand. She could still smell a slight nervous fear rolling off of him in uncomfortable waves as he glanced often at the brothers ahead of him.

"Umm… hi," the boy mumbled and the little red head giggled uncontrollably. "You're funny." Then she sobered up suddenly. "Just wait. I'm going to be the strongest kunoichi in all of Konoha. Believe it and don't forget it." Then she skipped off to catch up with her brothers.

Hoshi looked over at Raiden. He was watching the little girl as she bounced away a look of pure confusion on his face. She almost laughed but stopped herself when she found another emotion, a hidden one. He was afraid, really afraid and even thought he tried not to show it, it slipped out.

Another step brought the house into view and Naruto and her father were outside on the deck, seated at the table and drinking lemonade.

"Daddy, Daddy! How come your frogs can talk? Koshi said frogs can't talk but yours can 'cause their special."

Laughter filled their ears as everyone took a seat at the table. Kohana slipped into her father's lap.

"Why are you so wet Hana?" Naruto's eyes glistened as he looked lovingly at his daughter and he ran his hands through her wet hair

"I was trying to teach the frog to talk 'cause Kin and Koshi wouldn't let me train with them. And then they went and scared him away. And I was soooo close. He was going to say something. I know it."

Naruto's grin widened as did Kakashi's. The brothers looked guiltily at each other but gave it up when they found their father wasn't mad at them.

"Lunch is ready." Hinata's soft voice floated out the door. "I want you kids to wash up and then help me take these things outside. Kohana honey, come change your clothes."

Excusing themselves, the children filed into the house Kohana skipping ahead and Raiden the last one in.

As the door closed, Kakashi let out a sigh and whipped out his Icha Icha book. "He's not happy here," the man said flipping to a dog-eared page.

"Who isn't?" Naruto took another sip of his lemonade still staring affectionately after his family.

Kakashi sighed again. He may have grown up and become Hokage but Naruto could still be as thick as ever. Like Hoshi, who had learned from him, Kakashi had picked up on the boy's mood right away. "Raiden. He's afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Naruto was paying attention now. He knew even though his ex-sensei seamed to be lost in his novel, he was still thinking hard.

"I'm not sure." Kakashi flipped a page and scratched his silver head, his single eye moving across the printed page. "But it's getting worse. He's always upset after seeing his mother." Another paged turned. "And your boys scare him half to death."

"My boys? How do you know…?" The blond trailed off as the door opened again and the kids filed out carrying cups and bowls and utensils. Hinata, the last one out had the food.

"Oh good, lets eat" Naruto stated but not without a meaningful look to Kakashi. It was returned and they silently consented to discuss it another time.

**~--~**

It was late at night and all the lights were off in the roomy apartment. The windows were open in the kitchen letting in an abnormally cool summer wind. Everyone was asleep save for the dark haired boy on the couch. He sat with the blankets wrapped around him wrestling with his conflicted feelings.

All these people he was meeting were being so nice to him. It was so strange. Why? Hoshimi and her father were letting him live with them and none of the children taunted him. Not even Kin and Kiyoshi who were strong and talented. Hoshimi was the nicest of them all. No one hated him here and he wanted to trust them, but could he really?

And what about his mother? She wasn't getting better. Why wasn't she getting any better? She was in a hospital. Shouldn't they do something? He shivered at the thought of her lying all alone in that cold hospital bed so frail and fragile. What if she never got better? What would they do to him then? Tears suddenly prickled to the surface of his obsidian eyes. No, he wouldn't cry. She told him to be brave and he would be.

He let himself fall sideways onto the couch and closed his eyes concentrating on his breathing. But a single tear squeezed through his closed lids. It rolled slowly down his cheek and he wiped it away angrily before drifting off into a light sleep.

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Sorry again for the few, random and far inbetween updates. I really am trying but I write really slow sometimes! And dont forget to Review. Criticism helps!


	4. Alone

Yay! A new chapter! Appologies for such a long wait but school drove me crazy and I couldn't write. But now I can! Enjoy.

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**Chapter 4 Alone**

"Trust me Uncle Kashi. This color is perfect for you"

"Uhh Inoko? I don't think-"

"No Daddy. She's right. This is definitely your color." Hoshi grabbed one of her father's ungloved hands and sat him on her bed while Inoko opened the bottle of Perfectly Pink Nail Polish. This is what he gets for checking in on them during a sleepover.

Sure, it was raining and yeah, Inoko was doing a great job distracting Hoshi from that fact but, being a good father and all he thought it was important to see how they were doing. Of course it was just his luck that he should show up bringing popcorn for the pair the moment they finished painting each others' nails. Of course they would decide that he had probably never had a manicure in his life and it was now or never. And, of course being the good father that he was, he consented to let the girls paint his nails pink.

Pink. That color still conjured up small pangs in his heart.

"There. See Uncle Kashi? You look wonderful now!" Inoko and Hoshi beamed up at him.

"They're right Kakashi." Pakkun, lying on Hoshi's pillow, snickered at him. "Pink really is your color." Kakashi glared at him halfheartedly with his open eye before turning to the girls.

"Thank you ladies. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." Kakashi thought of the boring reports he had to write as he made a hasty exit out the door. He rarely accepted high ranked missions now since he had Hoshi to look after. Border patrol kept the income coming but it sure wasn't anything like writhing about an infiltration or assassination. At least it wasn't gate duty.

The jonin flopped onto the couch beside Raiden whose nose was stuck in a book and stared unhappily at the papers littering the coffee table in front of him. How he wished he could whip out his favorite book from his favorite series and disappear into a fantasy world like the boy beside him, but no, this was not to be. His job right now was to write up a report about how the squirrel population had exploded. It was ridiculous how many he seemed to almost trip over in one day doing their little 'I don't know which way I want to go' dance. With a sigh, he rubbed his forehead to rid himself of the tickling sensation of his bangs brushing against his skin and set to work.

A knock at the door set the dogs barking and snapped Kakashi and Raiden out of their own worlds. Getting up, Kakashi prepared himself for who was most likely a green jumpsuit clad man ready to bet he could splash in the most puddles, and shushed his dogs. But there wasn't a green jumpsuit clad man smiling widely at him. It was a chunnin, soaking wet and doubled over panting to regain his breath.

"You're wanted _pant, pant _at the hospital_ pant, pant_ right away _pant, pant_. It's urgent_ pant pant._ And _pant, pant_ bring him _pant, pant_."

Kakashi turned to look at Raiden who was glancing evenly from the drenched chunnin to the silver hared man himself. "We'll be right there," he stated and shut the door.

Raiden watched as the older man strode swiftly out the room, his usual slouch gone and lazy eye focused.

"Hoshi, Inoko, Raiden and I will be right back. The dogs are here if you need anything," Kakashi said as he poked his head in Hoshi's room. The girls voiced their okays but hardly paid attention to him as they had pinned Pakkun down and were attempting to paint his nails blue. Kakashi barely had time to grin at this before he was slipping on his headband, gloves, and vest. Swinging by the closet at the end of the hallway, he grabbed his poncho and Hoshi's to give to Raiden and towed the boy out the door.

Outside, the heavens had opened up and torrents of rain were pouring down from above. Their pants legs were drenched in three seconds flat and the massive puddles were no help, but Kakashi kept up a steady pace causing Raiden to jog to keep up with him.

In the deserted hospital lobby, the secretary on duty glanced up and reached immediately for a card Her face had pity written all over it and Kakashi dreaded what they would find upstairs. The jonin swiped the card from her hands and steered Raiden down the hall. His steps were slower now but still brisk.

Raiden shifted nervously in the large, empty elevator. It was too late to visit his mother; she should be sleeping. Why were they going now?

When the doors slid open and Kakashi stepped out, he slowed his pace even further. Raiden suddenly felt queasy and his hands shook slightly. He stuffed them in his pockets. His mother would not see him like this. She would only see his bravery.

When Kakashi strode past his mother's door without pausing, Raiden knew something was up. They had moved her. That wasn't good was it? He had never been in a hospital before but they wouldn't change someone's room just to give them a change of scenery would they? The stark white walls now seemed to be closing in on him as he moved past the familiar door and the queasiness grew worse.

Kakashi pushed through the two thick double doors at the end of the hallway but Raiden paused. Looking up at the sign, he read CRITICAL CONDITION. The boy swallowed, took a deep breath trying to stop the shaking that had snuck up on him and followed Kakashi through the doors. The silver haired man was waiting for Raiden down the hall. As soon as the boy caught up, Kakashi glanced down at him to find him staring determinately ahead. Taking a deep silent breath of his own, he swiped the card and opened the door.

"Kakashi, thank Kami you're here." Shizune was standing beside the hospital bed, sleeves rolled up and hands hovering over the woman's chest. Green chakra radiated from them glowing around the bite marks scaring her pale skin. She immediately stopped as she heard Raiden cry out.

"Mommy!" All resolve to be brave flew out the window as he saw his mother. Her skin was so sallow and colorless, almost translucent. Her arms resting on top of the blanket had kanji written up and down them, the red contrasting sharply with the pale white of her skin. Her labored breaths were short and shallow and sweat glistened on her forehead.

Kakashi could only watch as the little boy, choking back a sob, ran over to the bed and through his tears, gingerly pick up the woman's hand holding it close to his face.

"Don't cry baby, don't cry," was all Kakashi heard before he was thrown suddenly and viciously back two years.

_Kakashi was walking purposefully through the doors to the hospital, happy to leave the rain behind and knowing the little bundle in his arms was too. The bundle squirmed and a small silver head looked up at him._

"_We're going to see Mommy right? A'cause Mommy works at the hospital." Her small voice wavered, and clear green eyes stared uncertainly up at him._

"_That's right kiddo. We're gonna go see her right now." Hoshi nodded but didn't take her eyes off of him as he shook out his umbrella and left it by the door…._

_The woman at the desk looked up "Kakashi-san. Oh, I'm so sorry. I heard what happened and-"_

_He silenced her with a shake of his head and a glance at his daughter. Her eyes opened wide she nodded unhappily. Hoshi didn't know yet…._

_He was striding purposefully down a sparsely populated hallway. A few doctors and several nurses nodded, or waved, or called out a greeting to him and his daughter, some with sad faces, some almost crying. He nodded or waved or called back but he didn't stop. There was no time to talk…._

_The elevator had not been an option and he walked right past it. He couldn't stop moving. If he did, the terror he locked away would catch up to him, over take him, devour him. Not in front of Hoshi, not in front of his daughter…._

_The stairs were empty and the he took them one step at a time. He heard Hoshi counting them out loud. Her little girl voice echoed in the empty space around them mixing with the sound of the rain from outside. "One, two, three, four… ten, eleven, twelve… What comes next Daddy?"_

"_Thirteen," he said and helped her count the rest, glad for any sort of distraction. "Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen" …_

_He was back in the hallway now and there were doors on either side of him and her door was getting closer. His heart beat was loud in his ears and knew what he would find when he went through the door that was now in front of him. Sakura, bandaged and broken and tired and… He couldn't think anymore, couldn't take it. He hugged the little girl in his arms tightly and kissed her head while she squirmed uncomfortably. Then, after a deep, shaky breath, his gloved hands pushed the door open and he walked in_.

A sudden jolt twisted his vision and Hoshi was no longer the small child cringing in her father's arms. Now it was Kakashi himself carried in the arms of his father into the room his mother would ultimately breathe her last breath in, leaving him forever. These visions were fewer now and fuzzy. Dusty from years in the farthest corners of his mind but still haunting.

"…Kakashi. Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Shizune. What were you saying?" Shizune gave him a look but kept talking. "One of our interns will take Raiden downstairs." Kakashi watched as a young woman of about sixteen escorted a tearful Raiden out the door and Tsunade walked in as soon as they left. "And I can debrief you on her situation."

Kakashi blinked. It was going to be a long night.

"You _what_?"

...................................

"I lost him"

'_Damn interns.'_ Kakashi thought as his grey glared down at the young woman sputtering an apology at him. He had left the dying woman and made his way downstairs to the waiting room to find Raiden gone and the intern smiling widely at a young man with his arm in a sling. Of all the things that could go wrong tonight she just had to lose Raiden.

"You were flirting with that patent when you should have been watch-" A puff of smoke appeared suddenly at his feet cutting off his accusation and startling the guilty young woman causing her to jump back.

"Hey," Pakkun's voice floated through the dissipating smoke. In seconds he was completely visible. "Raiden just showed up. Smells like trouble." Kakashi didn't know who was more relieved, himself or the intern who was trying to sneak away now that angry jonin was distracted.

"I'm sorry Hatake-san." One of the nurses at the desk had hurried up to them when she saw Pakkun appear. "We don't allow animals in here."

"We were just leaving." Kakashi nodded to the woman who went back to her desk but she didn't take her eyes off of them. He turned back to the intern. "Your supervisor will be hearing about this." She cringed, having hoped to get away with her mistake.

"Yes Hatake-san." The last Kakashi saw of her before he disappeared was her head hanging low in defeat.

Kakashi reappeared seconds later in front of the door to his apartment and immediately reached for his keys but stopped. The door was open. Raiden stood a few feet away, his back turned towards the jonin in the open door. Hoshi stood in front of the boy facing him and Inoko was peering out from around the corner of the hallway slightly behind Hoshi.

"You don't understand!" Raiden screamed. A sob broke out of his chest. "My mother is gone and there's nothing you can do about it. Just leave me alone!" He shoved his arms away from his body and into Hoshi's chest and she fell back hard. Hurt and confusion filled her eyes along with shimmering tears. Inoko, whose hands had flown to her mouth, rushed to help her friend up, a reprimand on the tip of her tongue and the dogs in the apartment stood, hackles raised, about to let a snarl rip but Kakashi beat them all to it.

"Raiden!" Everyone froze at the loud angry voice and Raiden spun around to see Kakashi, taller than he had ever been before and giving a look in his only visible, cold, hard, grey eye, a glaring death look. It was all too much for the boy and he ran sobbing past the scary man and out the door.

Kakashi went over to his daughter, fuming as he pushed through the crowd of dogs. Some _boy _had touched his precious daughter, his little girl, his shining star, and that boy was going to pay.

"Look at me Hoshi. Did he hurt you?" His daughter shook her head. Her green eyes shown with her unshed tears.

"Daddy," she whispered. "His mommy's gone. Just like mine." And the tears spilled over as she clung to her father's jonin vest.

The anger leaked out of him at her words. The boy had caused her pain and all she could think of was his pain. His selfless young daughter was becoming more her mother every day. Now he was just tired. Hoshi wrapped her arms around his neck and he stood and carried her to his room. One of the dogs brought in her scarecrow doll and Bull, the large bulldog, took his place on the bed. Once Hoshi was reluctantly transferred to the bed with the dogs, Kakashi turned to Inoko who had followed them.

"Sorry honey," Kakashi said to her, noting her tear filled eyes. "Sleepover's over." The blond girl nodded and sniffled a bit then took his hand and they walked down the short hallway and out the door.

Thankfully it had stopped raining and dozens of frogs could be heard croaking as they checked out the new puddles. Kakashi and Inoko traveled in silence but as they approached her house, Inoko spoke up.

"Uncle Kashi? What will happen to Raiden?"

"I'm not so sure," he answered slowly, then mostly to himself he said, "One step at a time. First we get you home safely."

A disheveled Sai opened the door in his boxers. His normally neat hair was mused and his pale face pink.

"Kakashi? What happened?" Now that he was better with emotions, he looked genuinely concerned. Inoko let go of Kakashi's hands and ran into her father's arms.

"I'm sorry I had to bring her back. We've got a little situation going on. Nothing to really worry about."

Sai studied him. "Ino's not going to be very happy."

"I know, I'm sorry I'll –"

"Sai, honey, who _is_ it?" Ino's impatient voice called out and she appeared behind Sai clutching at her bathrobe. Her face was as red as her husband's and her long blond hair twice as tangled "Kakashi? What the-"

"I'm very sorry Ino. I'll have to explain later. I have to go." And with that he made a hasty retreat.

Back on the street, Kakashi summoned a dog and with just a glance from his master, the dog howled long and loud. After a few seconds, another howl answered, shorter but just as powerful. Together, Kakashi and his companion took off down the dark, wet streets.

..............................

Wet, confused, miserable, and exhausted, Raiden slowed his steps and looked around, trying to get his bearings. It was no use. He had no idea where he was or how to get back to Kakashi-san and Hoshi's place. Not that he could go back.

He sat on a bench under an awning in front of a tea shop. The awning had kept the bench dry and for that, he was thankful. The only sound in the quiet night was his own ragged breathing as he gasped for breath. The silence only served as a reminder to how absolutely alone he was. His mother was gone and he made the only other person he knew mad by shoving the man's daughter. He couldn't go back now. He didn't mean it though. He didn't mean to be mean to Hoshimi. It was just that, she couldn't understand how he just wanted to be alone. But now that he was alone, he didn't want to be anymore. Kakashi-san hated him now and by tomorrow, everyone would know what he had done. It would be just like back home. Hokage-sama would probably send someone after him, like the bad men that had come after him and his mother before they came here, except this time his mother wasn't with him. There was no one on his side. He was alone. The thought made him quiver.

A long howl from the distance made him start and the quivers turned to full blown shivers. Almost immediately after, a barking howl, much closer to him made him cry out and he slipped off the bench and into the corner between the bench and the shop wall. A doglike figure skirted the light from the lamp and crossed the street towards him silent and stealthy like a shadow. Raiden watched petrified. They were looking for him already. He curled himself into a ball and hid his face in his hands. Maybe the dog wouldn't see him. Maybe it would just walk by.

A wet probing nudge made Raiden cringe and he tried not to scream. But a warm tongue flickered across his hands and the boy peaked through them to see a white dog with black fuzz on its head and a long tongue hanging out of its widely smiling mouth. The dog licked him again and forgetting who was after him, Raiden wrapped his arms around the animal whimpering and sniffling and glad for another body to keep him from being alone.

After a while, the dog let out a rough bark and stood up, wagging his tail slowly. Raiden looked up to see a single man walking towards him, another dog at his heals.

"I found him boss. I kept him safe for you." The dog was clearly pleased with himself.

"Good boy." Kakashi gave him a pat and the dog went to stand with his pack mate.

"I-I-I'm sorry," Raiden managed to get out once he recognized the man. "I didn't mean to – to… please don't hurt me." And he stopped, unable to continue.

Kakashi crouched down to the boy's level. "Why would I do that?" His voice was gentle and patent now, not the angry voice Raiden had heard earlier.

"Because I pushed Hoshimi… and you were really mad and… and… that's what those other men did." Raiden was looking down at his hands but he felt his face pulled up and he was staring into Kakashi's gaurded, dark grey eye.

"No one here is going to hurt you. I promise." The man smiled. "Now let's get back to Hoshi. I think she's missing us right about now."

Raiden nodded and choked back a sob that was working its way out and quiet unexpectedly, Kakashi reached out and hugged him. Raiden couldn't help himself. He cried. He wasn't alone anymore. Kakashi stood up, taking the boy with him and set off towards his apartment, the two dogs flanking him and Raiden crying softly into his shoulder.

Back at home, Kakashi set Raiden down and sent him into the bathroom with a fresh towel to clean up. After he heard the water running, he quietly opened the door to his room and peaked in on Hoshi. She sat up immediately and thankfully, there were no traces of tears.

"Is Raiden okay?" was the first thing out of her mouth. "Is he here? Did you find him?"

"He's okay," Kakashi answered. "He's in the bathroom now." Hoshi nodded and climbed into her father's lap as he sat on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, stroking her silver hair. She leaned against his chest and fiddled quietly with her necklace.

"Daddy?" Hoshi's voice broke the silence.

"Hum?"

"What's going to happen to Raiden?"

"I don't know yet sweetheart."

"Can he stay here?" Kakashi looked down at his daughter with surprise. Her clear green eyes stared up at him.

"You want him to stay here?"

"Yes. He doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"We'll see," he said. They sat in silence until Kakashi heard the water shut off in the bathroom and not long after, Raiden appeared in the doorway. His dark red hair was damp and his eyes looked down toward his feet.

"Um, Hoshimi," he started and fidgeted a little. His voice was low but Hoshi turned to face him anyway. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you. Will you forgive me?" His eyes looked up at last, dark and uncertain, lonely and pleading. Kakashi could sympathize. The boy was alone in the world and he was reaching out, groping in the darkness, searching for a light.

Hoshi stirred and Kakashi released her. She went up to Raiden and grasped his hand.

"I forgive you," her voice was solemn. "Daddy says you can stay with us, right Daddy?" She turned her eyes on him and Kakashi looked from her to Raiden who was staring at him now, still pleading with is dark eyes.

"That's right," and he give the pair a small smile. A look of relief graced Raiden's features and Kakashi couldn't help but feel the smallest bit of relief also. Everyone was back home, safe and sound… well, almost sound.

Hoshi lead Raiden to the bed and he waited for her to get up and look at him expectantly before hesitantly following.

Kakashi got up to change, pulling off his damp clothes and leaving them in a pile on the floor, not bothering to pick them up. He felt too tired. Then he donned on something more comfortable and dry. By the time he was done, the two children had fallen asleep, their hands clasped together on the pillow they shared. Kakashi joined them, making Hoshi in the middle and was out as soon as his eyes were closed.


End file.
